I love a good historical novel, and Doctorow is my favorite in this genre. Ragtime and The March both illustrate periods in American history that are much easier to feel and understand through his eyes. The reader was superb.

Would you be willing to try another book from E.L. Doctorow? Why or why not?

Maybe. Storyline is readable(listenable) but weak.

What does Joe Morton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Morton is quite good. Moved the overall grade from three stars to four.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Just not that much umph.

Any additional comments?

What is it about our (U.S.) civil war. I have read/listened to a dozen histories (including all of Shelly Foote's the Civil War - which was phenomial) and four stories with Civil War backgrounds; yet one would think the horror of it all would cause one to stop reading about it and avoid having to live through the agony that episode of history wrought on people. Yet, when envisioning that human struggle that put brother against brother and enslaver against slave, that upheaval seems to always give us hope that no matter how horrible we think we are as humans, we may, just by small progressions - very small progressions - be making ourselves better creatures. What a massive toll it took to cause the damnation of slavery.

The reviews on this book have been very good and emphasize the civil war/Sherman context, which I found lacking. The book was an interesting enough listen but no more. The book uses the civil war as a mere backdrop, the March of Sherman is no more than a basic connection between stories and the characters are not terribly compelling. Some of them seem to be more of a reason to flash between stories as opposed to a real character in and of themselves The narrative flows well enough but its not terribly engrossing. If I had gotten this book in print version, I would not have finished it. As an audio book, it is good enough but not great.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Doctorow's depiction of a pivotal event in American history, expertly blending fact and fiction, was riveting. Joe Morton's performance was outstanding, giving life and voice to the varied characters. I cannot recommend highly enough.

A competent novel that gave me insight into the myriad perspectives of people caught up in Sherman's March to the Sea. I was never truly drawn in, nor moved. I'm glad I read it, and am not tempted to read it again.